Altmar dissolution study public hearing July 6

Altmar, NY -- A public hearing will be held at 6 p.m. July 6 concerning the dissolution study for the village of Altmar.

The village board accepted the draft study at its meeting May 23. Village Clerk Margaret Bailey said after the public hearing, the board will vote to adopt the final dissolution study at its Aug. 3 meeting.

Then a 45-day period will begin in which residents can petition for another vote on abolishing the village. If no one petitions or if a second vote reaffirms dissolution, Altmar will cease to exist Jan. 1, 2013.

If the second vote is in favor of keeping the village, Altmar continues, and no other petitions for dissolution can be presented for four years.

The draft dissolution plan was presented to the public at a meeting May 11. The study discusses what services would by continued by the town of Albion and which would cease and what would happen to taxes paid by village and town residents.

The study states village residents with houses assessed at $50,000 would see their taxes go from $486 a year to $304 a year if the dissolution goes through.

And if the town of Albion receives state money for municipalities that consolidate, the savings is more. Altmar residents would see yearly taxes of $269.

Albion residents wouldn’t be hit hard by tax increases. The study states town residents with a house assessed at $50,000 would see their taxes go from $250 a year to $261 without the state consolidation aid, but from $250 to $226 with the state money.

Altmar resident Bryan Myers petitioned the village board last year to abolish the village, saying that village residents paid too much in taxes for too few services. In November, residents voted to dissolve the village.